Skylon, the futuristic tower built for the 1951 Festival of Britain, could be
resurrected.

Visitors to the festival on London's South Bank marvelled at the 300-metre high steel construction, which appeared to float above the ground.

Built of steel and suspended on cables, it was one of the most striking features of the London skyline.

However, Sir Winston Churchill balked at the cost of re-erecting it elsewhere when it was dismantled in 1952. According to Jude Kelly, artistic director of the Southbank Centre, it was thrown into the River Lea in east London.

Other theories surround its fate: that it was dumped in the Thames, buried under Jubilee Gardens or even sold for scrap. The base is preserved in the Museum of London and the only other parts known to have survived are the wind cups, which are owned by a private collector.

In the 60th anniversary year of the Festival, Ms Kelly hopes to find what remains of Skylon.

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"It's like the Loch Ness monster - every so often there are supposed sightings but nobody really knows what happened to it. It's thought it was thrown into the River Lea and we would like to send divers into the River Lea in search of Skylon."

The project is planned for July.

However, even if Skylon is dredged up, it will not be re-erected at the South Bank site. "It doesn't mean we are going to put it up again," Ms Kelly said. "But it's kind of our symbol and it always will be."